The position of director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has been empty for over a year because the salary offered is €89,000, far below a rate appropriate to the responsibilities, a former senior Defence Forces officer has said. “They’d be laughed out of the room which is one of the reasons why the cyber security centre isn’t being taken seriously,” Dr Berry told The Irish Times. He said the security centre had no permanent premises and while based in a temporary abode it had “no way of customising that building to their own specifications”. And if you want to pressurise a country into not voting one way or to punish it having voting another way, it’s very easy to launch a cyber attack”. “The State has to strengthen cyber security,” he said, describing it as “a serious 21st century” issue for both State and private organisations.

Source: The Irish Times May 16, 2021 22:30 UTC